Robert Haraden

Robert “Bob” Haraden passed on to his next adventure on April 2, 2023.

He was born June 10, 1922, in Bar Harbor, Maine and stayed there through high school. He never forgot his Maine roots and returned yearly for many years. Throughout his life he had one foot in Maine and one foot in the West claiming dual citizenship. After working for the Colt Firearms Co. at the start of WWII to save money to go to college, he spent one year at Northeastern University in Boston before joining the Navy where he was trained as an Electronic Technician. He served as a Radar Maintenance Technician in the South Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Gilbert Islands CVE 107 during WWII.

Following three and a half years in the Navy, he returned and married Adelaide Cleaves of Swarthmore, PA in 1946. They spent the next three years at the University of Maine where Bob earned his degree in Civil Engineering with certification as a Registered Professional Civil Engineer. He was a founding member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Maine.

The next six years he worked as an Engineer with the Maine State Park System. His next adventure came when he joined the National Park Service in 1955 in its Design & Construction Office in Philadelphia, PA. Responsibilities included all design and construction in Parks in the eastern half of the country including the Caribbean where he worked on the initial planning for the newly established Virgin Islands National Park. The following assignment found Bob as the Chief Park Engineer at Rocky Mountain National Park in CO and later in the same position at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in CA.

A change in career direction came in 1967 when he became Assistant Superintendent at Grand Teton National Park in WY and later Superintendent at Natchez Trace Parkway in MS, AL, and TN. During this assignment he helped establish the Gulf Islands National Seashore along the coasts of MS and FL. After an Assistant Superintendency in Yellowstone National Park, he became Superintendent of Big Bend National Park in TX then finally at Glacier National Park, MT from where he retired in 1986.

While at Glacier he traveled to India to join an advisory team to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi regarding the establishment of the Biosphere Reserves. In 1982 he received the Interior Department Meritorious Service Award and in 1985 the National Park and Conservation Association Stephen T. Mather award for outstanding stewardship of the National Parks. Bob especially cherished this recognition since the nomination came from Glacier Park employees.

Retirement years were spent in Bozeman, MT with summers at their cabin at Seeley Lake, MT, foreign travel, and an annual fall trip back home to Maine.

He was a member of Rotary Club for many years and had served on the Board of Trustees for the National Parks and Conservation Assoc., the Southwest Parks and Monuments Assoc., and the Christian Ministry in the National Parks. In addition to volunteer work at Yellowstone National Park, Bob also helped with the Bozeman Senior Center, the Eagle Mount Cross Country Ski Program, and Meals on Wheels. During the last 4 years, Bob and his family have appreciated the staff at Wyndstone Assisted Living for their excellent care.

He was preceded in death by Adelaide, his wife of 71 years, their infant son Ricky, and his brother Gerard and wife, Jane. Survivors include son, Carl, of Bozeman, MT, son Stephen and wife, Linda of Billings, MT, and son Peter and wife, Cara Lee of Pendleton, OR where Peter works for the US Forest Service as a hydrologist. Additional survivors include nine grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren as well as two nephews Tom and Jim.

A memorial service will be held at Hope Lutheran Church Bozeman on May 27, 2 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 West Graf, Bozeman, MT, A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, 9250 East Castilla Avenue, Suite 203, Greenwood Village, CO 80112, The Employees and Alumni Assoc. of the National Park Service, Educational Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Ashes will be put to rest near Adelaide's in Yellowstone National Park.